Wednesday, December 26, 2012

West Papuan refugees hope for PNG citizenship

Access to citizenship could prove the
best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea.

“I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and
want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six,
outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee
settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the
capital Port Moresby.

Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father-of-six,
outside the Hohola refugee settlement — one of four settlements for West
Papuan refugees — in the capital Port Moresby. There are close to 9,300
West Papuan refugees in the country. (IRIN Photo/David Swanson)

Like most
West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access
to public services.

According to
the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees
in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over
three decades.

Others know
no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

“I was born
here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee
wanting citizenship.

Flight
From Indonesia

Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans
fled east into PNG from the western, Indonesian half of New Guinea Island to
escape political turmoil and economic discontent; the area’s longstanding
secessionist sentiments towards Jakarta continue to simmer today.

West
Province, a former Dutch colony rich in natural resources, was later divided
into two separate provinces — Papua and West Papua — however, indigenous West
Papuans continue to refer to the entire Indonesian area as West Papua.

At the time
the refugees arrived, the PNG government was not yet a signatory to the 1951
Refugee Convention. It granted the West Papuans prima facie refugee status
shortly after accession to the convention in 1986 — but with seven
reservations, including Article 34 on naturalization.

Of the close
to 9,300 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, almost half live along the border
area with Indonesia.

Another 2,435
live in urban areas, while 2,290 live in East Awin, the only officially
sanctioned area for West Papuan refugees to settle. There, regular assistance
is available and access to 6,000 hectares of government land is provided —
about 120 kilometers from the Indonesian border. The site was established in an
effort to resettle the refugees away from the border areas to avoid possible
political problems with the Indonesian government.

Those who resettle in the area for six months are
provided permissive residency permits (PRPs), which allow them certain rights,
including the right to work and travel internally (excluding border areas), and
gives them access to health and education services.

Few refugees,
however, wish to resettle in East Awin, preferring instead to stay close to the
border area and their land and families on the other side. Others frown upon
its remote jungle location and inaccessibility.

The
government estimates only 40 percent of West Papuan refugees hold PRPs. As a
result, most survive on subsistence farming — particularly in the border area.
Those in urban settings live on private or government land, under constant risk
of eviction, and often work illegally.

The
Cost of Citizenship

Despite these challenges, many West Papuans — who
share a similar Melanesian ancestry to Papua New Guineans — have integrated
well in this nation of 7.3 million and would like to stay.

“Local
integration with the opportunity to be granted PNG citizenship is the best
solution for many West Papuan refugees under the current circumstances,”
Walpurga Englbrecht, UNHCR country representative for PNG, told IRIN.

“The problem,
however, is the application fee is too high.”

Under PNG
law, any foreigner — including refugees — wishing to apply to citizenship and
who has fulfilled eight years of residency must pay a 10,000 kina ($5,000)
application fee.

Under Article
34 of the Refugee Convention, signatory states should facilitate the
assimilation and naturalisation of refugees, and make every effort to expedite
naturalisation and reduce the costs as far as possible.

To date, the
PNG government appears mindful of this responsibility, but it remains unclear
when they might act upon it.

Speaking at a
2011 ministerial meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Refugee
Convention, Moses Manwau, PNG’s former vice minister for foreign affairs and
immigration, confirmed the government’s commitment to withdrawing its earlier
reservations to the Convention, and to waiving all fees or introducing nominal
fees for refugees seeking naturalization.

“We are
determined to give refugees the kind of life, liberty, peace and prosperity
they deserve so that they can hold their own against any other citizens in
Papua New Guinea,” he said.

UNHCR believes there should be a path to citizenship
for those who desire it, while those West Papuans lacking PRPs who would like
to remain in the country should be provided PRPs without having to relocate to
East Awin, Englbrecht said.

1 comment:

PNG has prolonged Indonesian occupation of West Papua by concealing the 11,000 refugees from other governments and the United Nations.

What the JakartaGlobe will not mention is the fact that West Papua came under the "International Trusteeship System" (Chapter 12 of the UN Charter) in 1962 when the UN General Assembly approved UN occupation/administration by making resolution 1752 (XVII). Nothing has changed that legal status, the UN has NEVER said that the event in 1969 was a referendum or an act of self-determination, or that it had any effect on the sovereignty of West Papua.

West Papua only needs a UN member to ask, "is West Papua a UN trust territory"

Achievements

Winner of the 2011 UNESCO/Divine Word University Award for Communication and Development.Archived in National Library of Australia PANDORA Archive. 1 million hits as of Friday, November 16, 2012; 2 million hits as of Monday, July 14, 2014; and growing...No. 1 Blog in Papua New Guinea